The Columbus Blue Jackets once again jumped out to a multi-goal lead in a game. They once again allowed the opposition to come all the way back.
Kris Letang scored 59 seconds into overtime to lift the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets in front of a sold-out crowd on Black Friday at Nationwide Arena. Sidney Crosby scored twice including the game-tying goal midway through the third period.
The story of this game was the thing that no one wants to talk about anymore.
Game Recap
It was the Penguins who opened the scoring just 6:10 into the game. During a scramble, the puck found Letang’s stick. But instead of shooting, he saw Crosby open at the side of the net. Letang’s pass was deflected by Crosby past Jet Greaves for the 1-0 lead.
From then on, the Blue Jackets turned momentum in their favor. They scored the next three goals of the game.
Sean Monahan was able to corral a rebound before Tristan Jarry could play the puck. That goal made it 1-1. That was the score after the first period.
The Blue Jackets went up 2-1 thanks to the first-ever shorthanded goal in the career of Brendan Gaunce. Miles Wood made the play happen. He outwaited a Penguin and slid the puck over to Gaunce who finished it.
Then in what could have been a back-breaking goal, Zach Werenski scored his ninth of the season with under four seconds to play in the second period. Charlie Coyle got the puck in the corner and found Werenski. That assist for Coyle was the 500th point in his NHL career.
With a 3-1 lead heading into the third period, the Blue Jackets got another chance to shut a game down. Instead, they allowed a goal just 13 seconds in. It seemed to change momentum for most of the entire period.
Bryan Rust, who limped to the locker room at the end of the second, scored to cut it to 3-2. The Penguins had momentum. They won races. They got the better of most of the battles. That eventually helped them tie the game.
Tommy Novak sent the puck toward the Blue Jackets’ zone. Crosby allowed the puck to come off the boards toward Greaves. He got to the puck and made a move to beat Greaves for the 3-3 goal.
The game wasn’t decided in regulation. Then early in OT, Novak was at it again. This time, he found Letang and he scored the winner to give the Penguins their 4-3 win.
Jarry made a couple key saves in the third to preserve the tie. He made 26 saves on the night. Greaves stopped 20 of 24 on the night.
The Blue Jackets have the day off on Saturday. They will return to practice on Sunday morning in advance of their game Monday in Newark against the New Jersey Devils. Meanwhile, the Penguins are right back at it on Saturday when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at PPG Paints Arena.
